Golden Meadow Council discusses parade throwing

Published: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 8:55 a.m.

Last Modified: Tuesday, February 19, 2013 at 8:55 a.m.

The town of Golden Meadow is cracking down on Mardi Gras paraders who throw beads too hard and is looking into the town’s liability after a recent incident.

Golden Meadow Mayor Joey Bouziga said the Town Council passed a resolution Monday to request an opinion from the town’s attorney on what, if any, liability the town faces if a reveler is injured by a parader’s throws.

Much of the discussion centered around complaints from the Krewe of Neptune’s parade on Fat Tuesday, Bouziga said.

A Neptune float was emptied by law enforcement after complaints of overly aggressive bead throwing, he said. A person attending the parade reported being hit hard in the face by one of the krewe’s throws.

When deputies for the Sheriff’s Office approached the float, Bouziga said, nobody would take credit for the throw, so all of the riders were pulled.

The Lafourche Parish Sheriff’s Office could not comment on specific complaints about the parade but confirmed it generated numerous complaints of overly aggressive throwing.

It was unclear if any arrests were made after the parade.

“I had reports to my office of many different instances I was not very happy with,” Bouziga said. “Some floats were normal, but some got out of hand.”

Krewe Vice President Chuckie Cheramie said he had heard of the complaints but had not yet discussed them with his krewe.

Cheramie argued most parades receive similar complaints each year.

Bouziga said these complaints are not completely unheard of during parade season, but the Neptune parade generated more than any in recent memory.

“It seems like it escalated a little too much this year,” Bouziga said. “You have people on the side of the road with the kids. We want safety of the people. It’s our obligation to make sure rules are followed.”

Though Neptune was the focus of Monday’s meeting, it’s clear problems with throwing too hard were not exclusive to that parade. Reader comments and complaints poured into the Daily Comet and The Courier Facebook pages earlier this month.

“My complaint would go against the Krewe of Hercules because these men, even though they have supposedly been told time and time again not to throw like they are purposefully trying to hurt someone, (they) do it anyway,” said Jennifer Felarise, in response to a Facebook post. “It’s a shame that people go to enjoy parades, and some leave with headaches and bruises, possibly black eyes and concussions all because some drunken idiots think its funny.”

Toot Theriot, Neptune’s former president of 48 years, said he has noticed more issues with aggressive throwing in recent years.

He blamed that escalation on young people who drink too much.

“They start early with the excessive drinking,” said Theriot, who resigned from the position last year. “It can get dangerous.”

Theriot said the issue is something each krewe must confront to avoid a potentially crippling lawsuit.

“All the money invested in the parade and floats — one lawsuit could knock all that out. Somebody could get injured one day and that is what will happen.”

Bouziga said the inquiry into the krewe’s behavior is to protect the safety of paraders and those watching.

He emphasized officials with the krewe are as determined as anyone to root out the problem.

“They want to work it out,” Bouziga said. “They don’t like that kind of foolishness either.”

<p>The town of Golden Meadow is cracking down on Mardi Gras paraders who throw beads too hard and is looking into the town's liability after a recent incident.</p><p>Golden Meadow Mayor Joey Bouziga said the Town Council passed a resolution Monday to request an opinion from the town's attorney on what, if any, liability the town faces if a reveler is injured by a parader's throws. </p><p>Much of the discussion centered around complaints from the Krewe of Neptune's parade on Fat Tuesday, Bouziga said. </p><p>A Neptune float was emptied by law enforcement after complaints of overly aggressive bead throwing, he said. A person attending the parade reported being hit hard in the face by one of the krewe's throws.</p><p>When deputies for the Sheriff's Office approached the float, Bouziga said, nobody would take credit for the throw, so all of the riders were pulled. </p><p>The Lafourche Parish Sheriff's Office could not comment on specific complaints about the parade but confirmed it generated numerous complaints of overly aggressive throwing. </p><p>It was unclear if any arrests were made after the parade. </p><p>“I had reports to my office of many different instances I was not very happy with,” Bouziga said. “Some floats were normal, but some got out of hand.”</p><p>Krewe Vice President Chuckie Cheramie said he had heard of the complaints but had not yet discussed them with his krewe. </p><p>Cheramie argued most parades receive similar complaints each year. </p><p>Bouziga said these complaints are not completely unheard of during parade season, but the Neptune parade generated more than any in recent memory. </p><p>“It seems like it escalated a little too much this year,” Bouziga said. “You have people on the side of the road with the kids. We want safety of the people. It's our obligation to make sure rules are followed.”</p><p>Though Neptune was the focus of Monday's meeting, it's clear problems with throwing too hard were not exclusive to that parade. Reader comments and complaints poured into the Daily Comet and The Courier Facebook pages earlier this month. </p><p>“My complaint would go against the Krewe of Hercules because these men, even though they have supposedly been told time and time again not to throw like they are purposefully trying to hurt someone, (they) do it anyway,” said Jennifer Felarise, in response to a Facebook post. “It's a shame that people go to enjoy parades, and some leave with headaches and bruises, possibly black eyes and concussions all because some drunken idiots think its funny.”</p><p>Toot Theriot, Neptune's former president of 48 years, said he has noticed more issues with aggressive throwing in recent years. </p><p>He blamed that escalation on young people who drink too much. </p><p>“They start early with the excessive drinking,” said Theriot, who resigned from the position last year. “It can get dangerous.”</p><p>Theriot said the issue is something each krewe must confront to avoid a potentially crippling lawsuit. </p><p>“All the money invested in the parade and floats — one lawsuit could knock all that out. Somebody could get injured one day and that is what will happen.” </p><p>Bouziga said the inquiry into the krewe's behavior is to protect the safety of paraders and those watching. </p><p>He emphasized officials with the krewe are as determined as anyone to root out the problem. </p><p>“They want to work it out,” Bouziga said. “They don't like that kind of foolishness either.”</p>